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Alexander pushed the chair away from the table with his feet and stood up fiercely.
"Alexander! Wait!"
Alexander ran to the door and opened it with such force that he broke the handle; Evandro, however, only called after him and, even without a response, remained in the same place.
'He'll come back… At least with the king's wedding, they're not patrolling so much outside; I just hope he doesn't get caught; but for now, I can't do anything…'
…
It was around 9 p.m. already. A bustling movement of people inside and outside the palace could be seen even from the farthest villages.
Violet was in her large, luxurious bedroom, with 12 maids taking care of everything for her.
She wore a cream-colored cross-strap dress with a slit on the left leg, completely smooth. Two maids were finishing a braided bun in her hair, while a third was placing a metallic tiara with small oval leaves, encrusted with polished rubies.
"Your Majesty looks stunning!"
"Oh yes! How beautiful our future queen is…"
"Your Majesty, you are perfect…"
She, however, remained cold and passive. Her gaze was unreadable to anyone. Still, in her heart, she felt disgust for all of it; revulsion for the constant flattery; for the monster she was about to marry; the entire environment; her plan…
'Just keep going… I can only end this demon if I get close enough to do it myself!'
When Violet noticed they had finished everything and were now just trying to be 'perfectionists', still with her cold expression, she walked slowly out of the room.
She walked down a hallway… A dome-shaped hall, like most halls in the palace… With every door she passed, her heart beat faster.
THUMP, THUMP. THUMP, THUMP. THUMP, THUMP…
She reached a vault, and with a row of people waiting on both sides, she finally entered the wedding ceremony.
THUMP, THUMP. THUMP, THUMP…
Everything around her felt like various incomprehensible murmurs; she was crying in despair inside.
In front of her, dressed in a red tunic with yellow details, a crown of iron encrusted with various precious stones on the tips, from beryls to emeralds, diamonds to sapphires.
There was no one present to officiate the wedding; not because there were no priests or ministers, but because the king wanted to do it himself. 'I must have control.' He always said… Tarquinus felt like he had conquered every corner of the planet.
Everything was in slow motion for Violet. 'It's the sacrifice… Every great hero or heroine has one… Right?'
Her thoughts were suddenly flooded by the conversation she had overheard from the king.
'Why am I thinking about that? Now? Right now? How can I fall for someone I don't even know, don't know the name, haven't seen the face? Just because he escaped the king?! If I knew his name, at least I'd feel more at ease…'
…
Alexander ran back into the forest.
A cold wind, and the silence of the still night, was only broken by Alexander's running footsteps; his breathing; and far in the distance, a blur of voices from the king's palace.
He went to a tree farther away, in the darkness, where he couldn't be seen, and sat leaning against it.
Alexander crouched in an asian squat, resting his head between his knees, crying quietly; he didn't want to think about anything. Everything he had tried to ignore, like his mother's death, or the loss of a home, his father's letter, had all come flooding back…
"How does life expect me to process so much?! Why do I suffer so much!? Why so many choices!?"
Evandro heard someone murmuring in the darkness ahead; he paused for a moment, and with a look not of pity, or mercy, but of human connection—the kind we all have, especially with friends who feel more like brothers and family always present in our lives.
He gave a slight smile and walked calmly toward Alexander.
Evandro stopped near him and sat on the opposite side of the tree.
"I may not know you well, but… Err… Actually, I'll stay quiet… Like my uncle taught me."
The inhospitable and melancholic environment was, however, full of peace. The silence was occasionally broken by mysterious sounds of animals in the heart of the forest.
…
A good amount of time had passed, and silence still reigned in that place. However, abruptly, Alexander broke the silence, speaking softly and calmly.
"Evandro… Have you ever seen elves?"
Evandro thought for a moment and calmly replied.
"No… But my uncle has, and he told me about it many times."
He paused for a moment and continued.
"Not only had he seen some elves, but he had also seen dragons…
"He told me they were less threatening than he imagined, but the elves… Well… According to him, they were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen."
They remained silent for a while. Without surprise, Evandro got up, panting, and at the same moment Alexander heard it, he got up suddenly as if not to seem strange anymore.
"Do you mind sleeping on the floor?"
Alexander just shrugged, and Evandro calmly went ahead.
…
"I have two of these 'furnitures' created by the king for use on beds. I think you can sleep on one of them on the floor, since the other is stuck to the bed..."
Alexander didn't show it, but deep down, he felt relieved to have something more comfortable to sleep on.
When he lay down, he felt an unexpected surprise: the 'furniture' was soft and fluffy.
"Of course! I forgot to mention, it's made of woven cotton… Err… And the king calls it a 'mattress'."
Alexander couldn't stop thinking, where could the king have gotten the inspiration to create something so different? It made him remember his father's letter. He had it clutched in his hand, without even realizing it, ever since that moment.
'Transmigration? HUH?! What is that?! And how did my father find out?!'